Tag: Gundam Zeta

Next in the HGUC line is the weirdly proportion mass production Barzam from Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam. Even though it’s oddly shaped, it’s actually designed by the famous Mamoru Nagano. There is a Refined Barzam design that was done by Hajime Katoki for Gundam Sentinel that brought the design more in-line with the Gundam Mk. II. Hopefully they will release that design too.

Pictures show that this kit will have quite extensive poseability in the arms which bodes well for future releases. It’s coming in in May for 1,620 JPY. More pictures on Hobby Search.

The Subject
The MSA-003 Nemo is a mass production mobile suit developed by Anaheim Electronics. It is an upgrade of the RMS-179 GM II with improved power, armor, acceleration and maneuverability. The Nemo was first fielded in UC 0086 by the AEUG and Karaba during the Gryps Conflict and FIrst Neo Zeon War.

The MSA-003 would remain as a frontline unit well into UC 0096, where they saw action during the Zeon attacks on Dakar and Torrington Base.

The Build
The Nemo first appears in the series Gundam Zeta however the first HGUC of this MS is the variant that appears in Gundam Unicorn. Besides the different color scheme, this Nemo is armed with the same bullpup-styled rifle as the GM Custom and not a puny beam pistol. Otherwise, everything is the same.

Like most recent HGUC kits, this one is a marvel in engineering with nearly no seamlines. The breakdown of parts also cater to painting in sub-assemblies. While it’s still not perfect, I can safely say it’s on par with the older MG kits for sure. Bandai however, still has a habit of molding the weapons in two long halves which means there’s a seamline running down the whole thing.

As usual, snapfitting the thing is no issue at all. And prep work was thankfully minimal (the vents on the shoulders are particularly hard to fix so I didn’t) even though Bandai likes to have a lot of sprue connections on each part for some reason. The visor was given a coat of Future and set aside. As is my standard practice now, this will be an OOB build.

I used the following colors for this kit:

Model Master Acryl Blue Angel Blue

Model Master Acryl Insignia Red

Model Master Acryl Prussian Blue

Vallejo Air Metal Silver

Vallejo Model Air Black Gray

Vallejo Model Air US Gray

Vallejo Model Color Dark Seagreen

Vallejo Model Color Deep Yellow

Vallejo Model Color Foundation White

Vallejo Model Color Gunmetal Gray

Vallejo Model Color Pastel Green

Vallejo Model Color Sky Blue

Vallejo Model Color Transparent Green

I decided to go with the default color scheme with a slight deviation. So it’s Pastel Green for the primary color, Blue Angel Blue and Prussian Blue for the blue parts in a splinter pattern and US Gray for all the exposed internal frame. For the red and yellow parts, I added a layer of white color first before the actual colors so they will be bright. For the transparent green parts, I used silver as a base. To break up the monotony of an all gray rifle, I decided to paint the handguard Pastel Green. The rifle now looks even more like the real-life L85A1.

Most of the parts are airbrushed over a very thin layer of Vallejo White Primer with details/mistakes picked out/fixed with hand brushing. To add a bit of detail I masked and handpainted a yellow band on the right skirt which I didn’t do properly. I also handpainted the cockpit hatch Insignia Red. For the record, Model Master Acryl just doesn’t compare with Vallejo when it comes to brush painting.

After a coat of Future, I added a minimal number of decals from Bandai and third party sheets. As per my usual practice, I decorated the shield with some art: this one in particular is of a kangaroo with boxing gloves. Apt since the Nemo can be found in Torrington Base which is in Australia. The decal itself is from Hi-Q Parts. After the decals have cured I wiped them down with a wet tissue to remove any remaining residue then brush painted more Future over them. It was at this point that I realized I should have used the EFF markings instead EFSF ones. Oh well.

After that has cured, I then panel lined with Vallejo Model Wash Grey which is lighter than the Dark Grey version I used on the Guncannon. The end result is that the panel lines on the Nemo are very subtle. Not sure which one I prefer yet though. For the blue parts, gray for the panel lines will be useless, so I went with a very thinned wash of sky blue. I think it may be a bit too bright but I’ll live with it. No other finishing techniques were used so as to keep the Nemo looking clean and new (-ish).

To finish the kit off, I sprayed Vallejo Polyurethane Matt Varnish which required a few passes to be really flat. I ended up with only 2 passes to maintain a slight sheen on everything. The visor was inserted last right before final assembly.

One of the ankle guards broke during final assembly and now there is a gap at the joint that I decided not to fix. Throughout the process of finishing this kit, I noticed that paint was chipping off in various joints due to the tolerances of the fit. In the end, I decided I shall keep this kit in a static pose for the final gallery photos. I will also need to figure out how not to get too much paint onto the joints themselves as it causes the fit to be too tight in some areas (the feet are particularly bad on this one).

Decals (what little there are) are now on. After the decals have cured, I’ll coat them with another layer of Future then I’ll proceed with panel lining. I’m still thinking of what panel coloring to use for the blue sections. We’ll see. Most importantly, my first finished kit of 2016 is in sight!

So while waiting for the paint on the other projects to cure, I decided I needed to finish up this partially painted kit. I’m following the default color scheme quite closely but to add some interest, I decided to add some splinter camouflage to the blue color.

The darker blue is Model Master Acryl Blue Angel Blue while the lighter is Vallejo Model Color Prussian Blue. The color difference is very subtle but acceptable.